Affiliations
WORKING WITH THOSE YOU REALLY FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT by JPJolin from https://cortexplotpoints.wordpress.com/2013/11/21/49/ Heroic provides characters with Affiliations to show how well they work with other versus how well they work alone. However, the rules are silent on how to handle Buddy and Team situations where you are in a Buddy or Team situation with a character that your character just doesn’t like, or one with whom he has a particularly good relationship. The sidebar on OM62 tries to give some guidance, but for some Watchers this might not be enough. So we’ve got some optional rules for your use. GENERAL RULE If you prefer to create a general rule that applies to all characters, one way to go is to consider this a Step-Up / Step Down situation. If you choose to go this route, use the following guidelines: On a Team or in a Buddy situation with at least one person you consider a rival: Step Team Die / Buddy Die down by -1. On a Team or in a Buddy situation with at least one person you consider your ally: Step Team Die / Buddy Die up by +1 This does not cost any Plot Points to accomplish. Also, it doesn’t matter how many people on the team you consider an ally or rival; as long as you feel strongly about one member of that team, you get a maximum of +/-1 step. This rule applies to villains as well as heroes, so if Black Tom Cassidy and the Juggernaut form a Buddy pair, each of their Buddy dice steps up by +1. Of course, in order to implement this rule you have to declare a person your rival or friend. In order to do that, use the following rule: declaring someone a close friend should cost a Plot Point, and conversely declaring someone a rival should earn you a Plot Point. This should be awarded/charged per Scene since how characters relate to one another can change from Scene to Scene. CHARACTER SPECIFIC On the other hand, if you as Watcher prefer not to allow a general rule, you could still allow specific characters to get a bonus or penalty to their Affiliation through the use of SFX and Limits. Here’s a few examples: SFX: Friendly. Spend 1 PP to declare a character your ally. Any time you work with that character you step up your Buddy or Team Affiliation by +1. SFX: Friend Of The Team. Step Up your Team or Buddy Affiliation by +1 whenever you work with a member of TEAM NAME. LIMIT: Unfriendly. Earn 1 PP to declare a character your rival. Any time you must work with that character step down your Buddy or Team Affiliation by -1. LIMIT: Foe Of The Team. Step down your Team or Buddy Affiliation by -1 whenever you work with a member of TEAM NAME. MILESTONES Another route would be to incorporate your character’s feelings for certain other characters into a Milestone. This is much more in line with the rules in the sidebar of OM62. For example: AVENGERS VERSUS X-MEN Choose one of the two teams to join; the other becomes your rival team. 1XP When you refuse to partner with members of your rival team during a Scene. 3XP When you break affiliation with your current team because they let a member of your rival team join the party. 10XP When you either mend fences with the other team and work with them normally or you convince the rest of your own team to join you in your boycott of your rival team. I JUST CAN’T STAND THAT GUY 1XP When you declare another hero to be a long-standing rival. 3XP When you choose to operate Solo rather than work with your rival. 10XP When you either bury the hatchet (not literally) with your rival and resume working with him normally or you walk away from the team because you just can’t stand your rival anymore. MY BEST FRIEND! 1XP When you declare another hero to be a long-time friend. 3XP When you insist on working as a Buddy or Team mate with your friend and go out of your way to do so. 10XP When you either so smother your “friend’ that you drive him off the team or you back off and preserve your friendship. COMPLICATIONS Finally, you could handle rivalry situations as a Complication. How you determine if a character is a rival is up to the Watcher; you can use the method described in General Rule above or some other method of your choice. In any case, when two rivals must work together, you can use that Affiliation dice as a Complication. Example: Wolverine and Sabertooth have a mutual goal and despite both of their better judgement decide to work together, at least for now, to achieve that goal. Because of their hatred for one another they’d both rather be working Solo, any foe who faces either of them will get to use their target’s Buddy Die in their Dice Pool as a Complication die. The characters would then have the option of overcoming the Complication and ending the rivalry or giving in to the rivalry and fighting each other. In that case, they’d switch to their Solo Affiliations and the Complication would no longer apply, though the potential for increasing the Doom Pool as a result would make up for this. And don’t forget, Watchers, that Watcher Characters can suffer this Complication, too. So don’t pair Roderick Kingsly’s Hobgoblin with Phil Urich’s Hobgoblin unless you are prepared for some villain infighting. Category:House Rules